Pumper-pedal action for interior player-pianos.



. G. WARREN.

PUMPER PEDAL ACTION EOR INTEEIOR PLAYER PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1909.

963,262. Patented July.-5,191(). i.

fore-and-aft section througha CHARLES WARREN, F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

PUMPER-IPEDAL ACTION FOR INTERIOR PLAYER-PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1910.

Application filed August 20, 1909. Serial No. 513,755.

To all whom itmay concern: 1

Be it known that I, CHARLES W'ARREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of \Vinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pumper-Pedal Action for Interior PlayenPianbs, of which the following is a specification, reference r being bad to the ae'companymg' drawings,

forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction for the mounting andaction of the pumper pedals of an interior player piano, which are drawn forward for use and thrust back out of protruding position when the piano is to be operated manually.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in theclaims. I

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical ortion of an upright piano case provided or this invention, showing the parts of the invention in side elevation. Fig. 2 is'a planview of the -pumpers and their so ports. ,Fig. 3 is a partly sectional detail ront elevation of the pumper connections, section being made at the line 33, on Fig. 2. Fig. t is a fore andaft section at the line tl, OII FIg. 2.

The pumpers, A, A, are mounted under the foundation board, B, of the upright piano shown in the drawing, the moving member, A of the pamper bellows being the upper member, said upper members being each connected by a thrust red, O, with an operating lever, D, having a fixed fill-- crum on a bracket, D mounted on the bottom board, E, of the case. The lever, I), has its forward arm jointed at (Z for folding upward the forward member, D as seen in dotted line in Fig. 1, when the pedals are not in use. 'Said forward member carries at its forward end stroll, D, which bears on theunde'rside of the pedahM. The pedals, M, M, are fulcrumed at their forward ends on the longitudinal bar, F, from whose ends fore-and-aft arms, F F extend to sliding carriages, G,:( which are connected together bya longitlulinal rod,

G and mounted for sliding'on twofore-y and-aft fixed'slide rods.or .tracks, I-l,fII,t

i which are strongly supported in hangers,

h, h, projecting downwardfrol'n the bottom of the frame structure of the case. I

struction. shown, both} a spring Ilatchand The construction thus far described, it will be observed, permits the pedals, M, to be first lifted for folding back the forward members, 19-, of their operating levers, and then to be let down so as to lie in the plane of the fore-and-aft arms, F, of the pedalcartying device, and then to be moved rearward edgewise with that pcdal-carrying de-- E. In the absence of means to prevent such a result, this construction involves the liability of pushing the pedals rearward or inward when operating the same, necessitating frequent readjustment oftheir position atconsider'able inconvenience to the operator. To prevent this inconvenience, there is provided upon the lower'side of the bottom board, E, a latch, N, pivoted at itsre'ar end to said bottom board, E, and of such length that its forward end will drop in behind thelongitudinal rod, G, which connects the carriages, G, G, when said carriages are attheir forward position holding the pedals protruded in operative position, the latch being adapted to clear the rod, G whenlifted -up against the under side of the board, E.

On the upper sideof "said bottom board, E, there is mounted a pneumatic, K, whose uper wall is the moving wall and is connected by a link or finger, K, with the latch, N,

vice to a position underthe. botton board,

extending down through the bottom'board,

E, for connection with said latch. The latch, N,-may be a spring bar obtaining substan-- tially pivotal connection by its flexibility at a pointjust forward of its fastening to the board, E, 'or there may be a spring, L, operating-on the latch to uphold it. Such spring, L, may be, as shown in Fig. 3, contained within the pneumatic, K, operating directly on the moving wall of the pneumatic and through the link-or finger, K upon the latch to lift the latter by expanding the pneumatic. \Vhen the spring operates upon the moving wall of-the pneumatic, obviously the element, K must be connected to the latch,-not merely arranged to press! upon it. When the latch is itself a spring, as illustrated and described, any other spring may be dispensed with, and the positive connection of the lower end of the element, K to the latch isnot necessary. In the con spring in the-pneumatic are shown,, bothco operating to the same result. The pneu matlc, K, 1s 1n communicatlon by means ,9

a'narrow duct, P, with any exhaust chamber with which the pumpers are connected for maintaining exhaust air supply for the well understood purposes of a pneumatic action. Such exhaust chamber is represented at R, and it will be understood that in any familiar mannerthepumpers are connected with such chamber, and the connection is not specifically illustrated. \Vhen the pumpers are drawn'forward at a position of use, as shown in Fig. 1, the first action upon them operating the pumpers producing an exhaust. tension in the air chambers causes the pneumatic, K, to be collapsed and' the latch, N, to be dropped iniiront of the rod, G, where it will beheld so long as there is any exhaust tensionn aintained' by the pumpers operative'for playin -l-hatis to say, the spring, Wherever positioned tor upholding the latch, Will be adequate only to support the weight of the latchand the upper member of the pneumatic, K, and will yield upon very slight rarification of the air in the pneu- -n1at1c. As soon as the operator ceases to use the pedal and the air in the chamber resumes normal atmospheric tension, the expansion elf-the pneumatic, K, Wlll cause or permit the latch to be lifted out of the way of the rod, G, so that the pedals may be dropped and thrust under the bottom board, E, requiring no thought or action of tl1e op erator for releasing the latch, the proper conditions resulting merely from the eessa tion of playin 'I claim 1- I 1. In an mterior'player piano,- 1n combinatlon with the-case, exhaust devices mounted in the case; pamper pedals for operating such exhaust devices; a carrier for the pumper pedals adapted to be retracted for 'withdrawing-the pedals from operative poby the pumpers and operativcly connected with the latch.

2. In an interior player piano, in combination with the case, exhaust devices mounted therein comprising pumpers; a pair of foreand-a-lt parallel slide bars mounted on the .bottom of the case; carriages sliding on said bars and a lo. itudinal rod rigidly connected with the carriages; parallel links piving forward therefrom and provided with a connecting bar at their forward ends/{pedals fulcrumed on said connectingbar"; a latch mounted on the case positioned for engagement behind said longitudinal bar when the carriages are at forward position;' a pneumatic operatively connected with said latch and having communication with, a chamber influenced by the pumpers. v

3. In a pneumatically operated musical instrument, pu'mpers and pedals for operating the same, a carrier for the pedals adapted to be retracted for withdrawing the pedals trom operative pos1t1on; a device for lockmg the carrier at operative positlon or the pedals, and means by which the-ptunping at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day'otA ugust,

woo; v

. CHARLES WAI'LKEN. In the presence ol- JULIA S. Annorr, CHAS; C. liuu'rost.

votally connected to the carriages and extend- 

